A food journey through an elimination diet.

Archive for the ‘Tips’ Category

When you buy sesame seeds, they are usually raw. Since they have a high oil content they can become rancid, so store them in an airtight container in the fridge. In fact, you should store all raw nuts in the fridge. Toasted sesame seeds are delicious: I heat a small amount in a skillet in medium heat and stir them occasionally. They are ready when they start popping. Toasted sesame seeds can get rancid faster so make small batches.

To find out about the wonderful health benefits of sesame seeds, go to the World’s Healthiest Foods site by clicking here.

When you use scallions you can cut the roots and plant them in the garden or pot. They will grown in no time and in any place, they are really tough guys! My mom never lets any scallion root go to waste because she cooks Japanese food often.

To find out more about scallions, check Chef’s Maven blog article by clicking here.

How to chose an avocado? A very hard avocado is under ripe; a mushy one is overripe. Chose one that gives in slightly to the touch. Because it’s so hard to find perfectly ripe avocados, I usually buy under ripe ones and leave them on the counter top or place them in a paper bag (if I am in a hurry). It will take them 1 to 4 days to ripen. Once they are right, I move them to the fridge right away (check them every day). They will be good for a couple of days.

Avocados turn brown once exposed to air. In order to prevent the browning, add lime or lemon juice to them and make sure to coat each piece really well.

To find out about the wonderful health benefits of avocados, go to the World’s Healthiest Foods site by clicking here.

What’s the secret for creamy, delicious beans? Soak them overnight in purified water. Discard the water, put them in a stockpot with new purified water. Never add salt or any acidic ingredient until the beans a completely cooked. Actually it’s best to add all the seasoning after the bean has cooked, except for some basic spices, such as bay leaves.

To find out about the wonderful health benefits of beans, go to the World’s Healthiest Foods site by clicking here.

If you have leftover fresh rosemary, or winter is around the corner and you have a big bunch in your garden, store cut branches of rosemary in the freezer in an air tight bag or container. You don’t need to defrost it before using it.

They will keep their wonderful fragrance when you use them during the winter (they are so good with winter vegetables!).

To find out about rosemary’s wonderful health benefits, go to the World’s Healthiest Foods site by clicking here.

Did you know you can freeze fresh ginger? buy a big piece, break it in pieces (snap the “fingers”) and store them in the freezer in an air tight bag or container. You don’t need to defrost or peel it before using.

To find out about ginger’s wonderful health benefits, go to the World’s Healthiest Foods site by clicking here.